Book Clubs

Today was filled with lots of activity and appointments that simply had to be kept. Since I knew the day was going to be crazy, I got an early start, knowing that I needed to knock a few things off my to-do list before leaving the house for the morning. I decided I needed some incentive to get things done, so I made a deal with myself. Once I finished the first three things on my list, I could spend the rest of the morning reading until I had to leave. I didn’t even get to pick up a book. That made me very sad…..

And my sadness grew as I heard a radio announcer wishing everyone “Happy Read a Book Day” (honestly….it’s celebrated on September 6). On September 8, we’ll also celebrate International Literacy Day. I have been desperate to dive into a book all day long, but didn’t have the time to spare. I have been thinking about how much I love books and how I desperately desire to be a part of a book club.

One of the primary reasons that I have been a student for so long is that I really enjoy getting to interact with books. It’s not just reading the book that is so enthralling though. I love the conversation that ensues when a group of people come together and bring their various experiences and opinions to the table as they consider the implications of the written word. I couldn’t imagine not having time to read while I was in my undergraduate program. So what did I do? I declared a second major in English literature. I knew I wasn’t the best student in the program, but I knew that I was passionate about the material.

The social activity I would most enjoy participating in on a regular basis would be a reading group. I’ve had no luck finding one though. I’ve joined groups at the local library and area bookstores, but have always been disappointed because the members either didn’t commit to participate regularly or the group only dove into a single genre of literature. When I participated in an office reading group, things never got off the ground. We tried to meet during our lunch break, but the demands of work kept calling us back. We were all too exhausted to consider committing to an additional night during the week.

Some have suggested that I start my own reading group. I’ll admit that I have tried, but it still didn’t provide what I was looking for. A church book club limited material that could be included due to language and topics that might offend some members. A group of performing artists is a rehearsal (read social party) waiting to happen….and there was little discussion of the material read.

Oprah’s Book Club was the closest thing I’ve ever found. I enjoyed the wide variety of books selected and appreciated the passionate discussion that would normally occur. I missed the human interaction and building relationships though. Oprah has now reorganized her book club as version 2.0 which all occurs online. Everyone has the opportunity to communicate via Twitter and other social media, but the intimacy is lost.

I was intrigued by one of Oprah’s latest suggestions for starting a book club. She suggested reading as a family and discussing the book as part of your family get-togethers. I see how this could be really fun in many families. Probably won’t work for my situation though….while many in my family enjoy reading (and others do it just to keep their brain active), we’re not reading for insight as much as we are for the entertainment value. There’s only so much I can say about why I enjoyed a book without wanting to consider the moral, political, and philosophical implications.

So what is it that I’m really looking for? Ideally, I would find a group of 8-12 other readers who come from different backgrounds, professions, spiritual journeys, and education levels. I envision men and women who share a love for reading, a desire to think deeply about issues, and a willingness to listen and speak honestly without constantly being offended when/if they disagree. I don’t want to be forced to be politically correct….especially if my opinions are not PC! We might share food together….but the focus is really on the book.

And, oh the books!  How wonderful would it be to read a self-help book followed by the latest best-seller. Then we dive into the heart of a classic American novel. Throw in a little philosophical writing and maybe even some religious (possibly non-Christian?) texts and you have a recipe for exciting and intellectually invigorating conversation.

If any of you have suggestions about where I can find a book club in the area, I’d love to hear from you! Until I find what I’m looking for, I’ll keep dreaming about the day I’m able to participate on a regular basis and keep reading for my own pleasure and intellectual stimulation.  Now I suppose it’s time I give in and spend some quiet time with my book.  Scarlett and Rhett, I’m coming to Tara for a visit now!

Evaluations!

I am a sick man.  I admit it.  Whatever I do….whether professional, ministerial, or personal…..the activity is never over until I have had time to sit down and do a thorough evaluation of it.  Have we just talked on the phone?  I’m probably sitting at my desk wondering if my message was clear or if I sounded friendly enough.  Did you just hear me play a Sunday morning offertory?  While you have moved on to listening to the minister, I’ll take a few moments and evaluate how I played and wonder what I can do to engage you more the next time so you’ll talk to your neighbor less.  (By the way, that is really a pet peeve of mine!  Now that THAT’S off my chest, let’s move on.)  For better or worse, evaluations are a part of my daily life.  When I keep them in check, I believe they are a valuable tool that enables me to rise to new levels of excellence.

Who doesn’t want to get better at whatever they are doing?  If you’re going to do something, do it well! As a result, I have spent a large portion of my day evaluating some recent endeavors.  This morning was spent reflecting, evaluating, and writing about my recent family vacation.  To tell you just how “sick” I am, I have a folder ready to be filed that has a 5 page report detailing the week’s events and my personal feelings about each thing.  The next two pages are a line by line evaluation of our spending by day and by category.  I tell you, it is a “sickness!”  But it also tells me a lot about what worked and didn’t work for everyone involved in the trip and will be very valuable as I begin to plan next year’s vacation.

This afternoon saw the bigger evaluation taking place;  I finally put to paper my final thoughts on this year’s Music Camp.  It’s all been brewing there in the deep recesses of my mind for the past two weeks.  The report is very concise and has been thought about in detail.  It’s not a place to praise the show’s success.  It is a record of my feelings, frustrations, and thoughts about how to improve the experience (for the kids as well as me) next year.

I don’t constantly return to these evaluations though.  More than anything, they provide me a method of getting everything out of my head and allowing the event to have a sense of finality.  Once I commit it to paper, I know that I don’t have to hold on to the information any longer and can begin to give that brain room to other things that are demanding my attention.  (My sincerest thanks to Getting Things Done by David Allen for revealing the power of this process.  If you haven’t read the book and struggle with personal management or procrastination, it is a must read!  You probably won’t use everything there, but it will definitely get you thinking about how you run your life.)  Now when a question arises about the event, I have a report to refer to.  Is it all inclusive?  Not by any means!  It simply contains the information that is important to me about the event at the moment.  Will anyone else read the report?  That depends…….Reports about vacations may be read by others who went with me (especially if they will be traveling with me again in the future) so they can add their notes as well.  Most evaluations are strictly intended for my eyes and reference alone.  That allows me the security to be honest and frank without having to worry about it being appropriate for public consumption.

Most of my written evaluations are about recurring events:  annual musicals, family vacations, professional presentations, and college classes.  As I prepare to begin working on the next one, I’ll normally go back and read the file, making notes of things I don’t want to forget to consider in the new folder that is being created for the new event.  The evaluations don’t feel like passed judgments, but rather personal reminders of lessons learned along the way.

It would seem that this would create a lot of paper to store.  At this point it hasn’t, but I’ve only been this thorough with it for about 7 months.  All of my folders are taking up half a drawer in a small two-drawer filing cabinet. All files — personal, professional, and ministry — are kept together and are organized alphabetically. My plan, as David Allen suggests, is to purge the files annually in order to keep things under control and make sure that my filing system remains pertinent rather than an organized trash bin.  Thankfully that process will happen in January when things tend to slow down in all areas of life.

Just so no one thinks my life is completely organized, I’ll just tell you that the creative side of me completely fights against all of this organization!  My musical scores and reading material are an absolute disaster and spread around 2 rooms on every available surface…including the floor!  Why don’t I organize it as well?  Every time I try I become completely overwhelmed and can’t get a clear vision of an operative final product, so I decide to avoid it.  At least in its current state, I have a general idea of which stack I need to go to for which piece of music.  (When I’m truly courageous, I’ll post a picture of the nightmare that is my music library.  It’s not a pretty sight to behold!)